Was that
$2700 just for design and manufacturing of PCBs? Or enclosures too? How many prototype articles would finally arrive at that cost?
It might help to add some description, even though I understand you might not want to give away the idea. If you are just trying to book some lights and get data from some sensors, maybe there's much less work than other projects. What I mean is, it might be possible for cheaper or less resources.
Have you made a prototype with an Arduino and breadboard/etc? Would that be possible? Maybe you need faster digital processing, or less digital and more analog.
Do you really need to fully outsource this, or do you have the time to learn and work yourself on this new (to you, it sounds) side of things? How you break it up, and if you do some judicious subcontracting, immediate number of potential dollar signs can reduce.